Bringing herbalism & baking together

Hops Brownies with Hershey’s Bar Icing

About a month ago an advertisement postcard from Blue Apron appeared in my mailbox. This visionary company strives to increase home cooking by making it easier to fit making dinner into our busy lives. Each week a box of ingredients for three dinners that serve either two or four is delivered to your doorstep. Hello Fresh and Plated also offer this service. I make dinner almost every night for my family. I know from experience it gets tough sometimes. I was intrigued and wanted to learn more about Blue Apron’s service. Besides, I have been conceptualizing the possibility of sending ingredient boxes for the herbal bake shoppe recipes. I could not resist seeing first hand how Blue Apron operates.

My reaction: totally impressed. The box came beautifully packed; everything was there for three entire dinners all with clear recipe instruction cards and bright attractive photos. Individually packaged ingredients were clearly marked. The food was fresh and in pristine condition. Most importantly perhaps, the recipes tasted good, delicious. I skipped the next week because the meal selections seemed those my kids would not like. This past week I received my second box. Same reaction: totally impressed, but also surprised and excited because included as an ingredient for one of the side dishes was a package of dried hops flowers! Blue Apron is after my heart using not just regular herbs like parsley, cilantro, garlic, pepper flakes, but also one that people may not think to use in cooking. My goals for the herbal bake shoppe are right up this alley.

Last spring I was experimenting with hops myself and made these brownies because hops seemed a perfect herb addition to a day end dessert. Hops, best known for its use in beer, has traditional use as a relaxing, sleep aid. I chose brownies as a medium because they are my son’s favorite. I think he fell asleep a bit earlier after trying them. I was not trying to do that, just hoping he would offer me an opinion. The fact that he ate them was a good sign.

Because some ingredients may be hard to find, links are provided to make buying easier. I may earn a small commission for some of the product links in this recipe. Your purchase will lend support to this website at no further cost to you. Big love and thanks for that.

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Hops Brownies with Hershey's Bar Icing

Beer crafters consider the bitterness of hops an essential balance to the sweetness of the brew. That perfectly translates to a spicy addition to a classic confection. Just as taste is not the only motive for drinking a beer, eating a brownie made with hops brings a tiny sigh of relaxation. It’s a dual end of meal benefit.

Servings

Prep Time

12brownies

20minutes

Cook Time

Passive Time

35-40minutes

25minutes for making hops tea

Servings

Prep Time

12brownies

20minutes

Cook Time

Passive Time

35-40minutes

25minutes for making hops tea

Print

Hops Brownies with Hershey's Bar Icing

Beer crafters consider the bitterness of hops an essential balance to the sweetness of the brew. That perfectly translates to a spicy addition to a classic confection. Just as taste is not the only motive for drinking a beer, eating a brownie made with hops brings a tiny sigh of relaxation. It’s a dual end of meal benefit.

Servings

Prep Time

12brownies

20minutes

Cook Time

Passive Time

35-40minutes

25minutes for making hops tea

Servings

Prep Time

12brownies

20minutes

Cook Time

Passive Time

35-40minutes

25minutes for making hops tea

Ingredients

For hops tea

1 tbspdried hops flowers

12ounceswater

For brownies

3/4cupcocoa powder (Dagoba)

1/2tspbaking soda

2/3cuporganic unsalted butter, melted

1/2cuphot hops tea

2cupsorganic granulated sugar

3organic eggs

1 1/3cup organic all-purpose flour

1/4cuporganic coconut flour

1tspvanilla extract

1/4tspsalt

5-6Hershey's chocolate bars

Units:

Instructions

For hops tea

Combine dried hops flowers and water in a small saucepan and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Reduce to lowest heat setting, cover with lid slightly ajar and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, cover tightly with lid. Steep for 15 minutes.

Strain hops tea through a fine sieve, pressing on hops flowers to extract as much liquid as possible. Rinse saucepan. Measure ½ cup of hops tea and return to saucepan. When ready to use in brownie batter, heat tea until comes to boil.

For brownies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a 9 inch square pan by measuring a 12 inch piece of aluminum foil, turn pan upside down and place foil shiny side down over pan and shape by turning down sides and corners. Remove foil, turn pan right side up and place shaped foil into pan, pressing gently into place. Coat foil with butter either very soft or melted and spread all around with pastry brush or crumpled wax paper.

Combine butter and chocolates into top of double boiler and place over hot water in bottom on moderate heat. Cover and heat until almost completely melted. Remove from heat, stir, and allow to sit covered until completely melted. Stir in dandelion puree and allow to cool slightly.

In electric mixer, beat eggs for on high speed 30 seconds, no more, just until frothy and a bit increased in volume. Decrease to low speed, gradually add sugar, beating only 2-3 seconds after each addition. Add vanilla extract, salt, and chocolate mixture, scraping sides with rubber spatula and beating just until barely mixed.

Add flour, continue to scrape bowl with spatula and beat until mixed. Stir in chocolate chips. It is important not to over mix batter to assure moist and fudgy consistency of brownies.

Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Bake for 35 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out barely clean. Do not over bake.

Cool on wire rack for 45 minutes then refrigerate until completely cool before cutting. Slice with a sharp knife into 16 2inch squares and dust with powdered sugar. These can be wrapped individually and freeze nicely.

Recipe Notes

*Using organic ingredients whenever possible will make your baked goods all the more nourishing. For these brownies, use organic butter, sugar, eggs, and flour if available.

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I’m Dina, a Registered Dietitian and Herbalist. Incorporate herbs into baking with me and realize the natural nourishment for a healthier, more economically responsible, more independent ability to better care for yourself and your family.

Contact me to help navigate through your own culinary herbalism. I am available for private consultation as a nutritionist, herbalist or both. I would love to hear from you if you have a story, comment, or question, email me anytime!